FGCU Heads to Tampa to Take on No. 13 USF

by Patrick Pierson
September 24, 2012

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Just two full days removed from its hard-fought 2-2 draw against in-state rival UCF, the FGCU men’s soccer team will finish off the non-conference portion of its schedule Tuesday night when it takes on another one of the state’s premiere programs in No. 13 USF in Tampa, Fla.

Tuesday night will mark the fourth straight season the two programs have met, but the first at Corbett Stadium, which opened in 2011. USF, who is No. 13 in the latest TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 48 projections, leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Green and Blue’s lone win in the series came in Tampa in the 2010 season opener where the visiting Eagles put an end to the Bulls’ 30-game home unbeaten streak.

Kick-off at Corbett Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. Live video is available for a fee of $10.95, while live stats are also available through links on www.FGCUATHLETICS.com. In-game twitter updates can also be found by following @FGCUMensSoccer.

FGCU has faced a pair of ranked opponents already this season and is 3-5 all-time against ranked foes. Oddly enough, the Eagles’ first-ever win over a ranked team came in the previously mentioned 2010 meeting in Tampa where USF was also ranked No. 13. Looking further, USF has been ranked in all three of the previous meetings.

Currently 3-3-1 on the year, FGCU has appeared in TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Tournament 48 projections each week, coming in at No. 39 on Monday. Despite not playing USF at Corbett Stadium yet, the Green and Blue are 2-0 on the field this season after taking down Iona (2-0) and Conference USA favorite South Carolina (3-0) at the USF Tournament on Sept. 6-8.

Offensively, the Eagles sport a balanced attack that has seen seven players score a goal and 12 different players record at least one point. Senior forward Will Morse (Sugar Land, Texas/Clements HS), who was named to College Soccer News’ National Team of the Week and the A-Sun Player of the Week three Monday’s ago, leads the way with three goals, including two at Corbett Stadium. Morse scored once against Iona and South Carolina.

Sophomore keeper Nathan Ingham (Ontario, Canada/Keswick HS) headlines a talented backline that is full of underclassmen. Ingham has logged every minute in net, making 22 saves that have helped lead to a pair of shutouts.

A year removed from advancing to the Elite Eight, USF is 5-2-1 on the season and coming off a 1-0 overtime win at Providence in the BIG EAST opener for both clubs. The Bulls began the year ranked No. 5 and reached as high as No. 2 after an impressive 3-0 start that featured wins over Michigan (2-1), No. 20 SMU (1-0) and at Tulsa (2-1).

FGCU and USF have faced three common opponents this season in Akron, Iona and South Carolina. The Eagles went 2-1 over those three games, while the Bulls were 1-2. Both teams lost at 2010 National Champ Akron.

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